Shoe-polish kit



March 20, 1962 H. s. BIXBY, SR

SHOE-POLISH KIT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 29, 1959 INVENTOR Harold S. BiXbLf ,Sr.

QM @a/r%e0w ATTORNEYS March 20, 1962 H. s. BIXBY, SR 3,

SHOE-POLISH KIT Filed June 29, 1959 2 ee s-S eet 2 INVENTOR Harold 5. Bixbq, 5n

ATTORNEY5 Unite States ?ate 3,025,556 SHOE-POLISH KIT Harold S. Bixby, Sr., 113 Maple St, Brantord, Conn. Filed June 29, 1959. Ser. No. 823,742 1 Claim. (Cl. 15-258) This invention relates to a shoe-polish kit, and relates more particularly to a kit of the type which is very compact when assembled and which may be easily supported by hand for use.

One object of the invention is to provide a kit such 'as characterized above, which is provided with an improved supporting handle structure.

Another object is to provide a shoe-polish kit which may be assembled and held by the above-mentioned handle structure in one hand during a shoe-polishing operation, or which may be partially disassembled and held by two handles, one in each hand, during the polishing of shoes, whichever is more convenient.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a polishing kit the components of which may be assembled in an improved manner.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a shoe-polish kit embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the kit;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 as seen in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partially sectional view taken on line 44 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a detail view in top plan, illustrating the support member of the kit.

In the drawings, the shoe-polish kit is illustrated as including an elongated support member, indicated generally at 10, having a longitudinal handle 11 of dished form, fixed to a polish-can-receiving cup 12 formed by the member. The handle and the cup may be integrally formed by a casting of metal or other suitable material. As shown in FIG. 2, the handle 11 projects from the cup 12 at a point on its periphery and adjacent the upper portion of the cup. The sides of the dished handle 11 are cut down as at 13, and the sides of the handle are provided with rises 14 extending between the respective cutdown portion 13 and the cup 12. As shown in FIG. 5. the bottom of the dished handle 11 is apertured, as at 15, and the bottom of the polish-can-receiving cup 12 is apertured as at 16.

To hold a polish can 18 firmly in the cup 12, a C- shaped spring 17 is mounted in the cup to frictionally embrace the polish can, the intermediate portion of the spring being secured to one side of the cup as by a rivet 19. As shown in FIG. 4, the polish can 18 rests on the bottom of the cup 12. The can 18 may be a conventional can containing shoe polish. such as is commonly sold at stores. However, the metal top of the can, not shown, is removed and may be discarded when the can is assembled with the kit. To cover the open top of the can in the kit, a flexible closure 20 is provided. The closure 20 is preferably formed of plastic sheet material, and must be strongly resistant to penetration by air so that polish in the can 18 will not dry out.

The closure 20, best shown in FIG. 5, is of a size and shape to cover the top of the can 18 and may be depressed somewhat into the can, as shown in FIG. 4. The closure may be provided with a tab 21 supported from the cup 12 and fixed thereto by the rivet 19. Diametrically opposite the tab 21, the closure 20 may be provided with a manipulating tab 22 which, when the closure 20 is in the operative position, projects beyond the cup 12, as shown in full lines in FIG. 3. The closure 26, as will appear hereinafter, may be folded back to the broken-line position of the last-mentioned figure for access to the polish can 18. To aid in the manipulation of the closure 20, the tab 22 is provided with a grommet 23, which may be grasped between the thumb and forefinger.

The shoe-polish kit includes a combination dauber and butter, indicated generally at 24, and which is provided with a handle constructed of wood or other suitable material, which is so dimensioned and shaped that it may be received in the dished handle 11 of the support memher when the components of the kit are assembled, the handle of the combination dauber and buffer being indicated at 25. The handle 25 is provided with a reduced or neck portion 26 which fit into a complemental portion 27 of the handle 11 when the kit is assembled to aid in preventing accidental dislocation of the parts. At the end thereof remote from the handle 25, the combination dauber and buffer is provided with conventional dauber bristles 27 extending from one face of an enlarged eX- tension 28 of the handle. A buffer 29, formed of conventional butting material, is applied to the other face of the extension 28, and may be secured thereto by a suitable cement. The bristles 27 may be recessed to some extent in the material of the extension 28, and cemented therein in the usual manner.

It will be understood from the foregoing that the enlarged extension 28, the dauber bristles 27 and the buffer 29 make up the head of the combination dauber and buffer. This head may extend down into the cup 12 of the support member to some extent when the kit is assembled. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the combination dauber and buffer is assembled with the support member in such a way that the bufier 29 is lowermost and engages the closure 20. The buffer may press the flexible closure 20 somewhat downwardly into the can 18. To further inhibit dislocation of the parts when the kit is assembled, the head of the combination dauber and buffer may be provided with a pin 30 to project through a hole 31 formed in an upstanding lug 32 provided as an integral part of the support member 10 at the end thereof remote from the handle 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the lug 32 extends upwardly from a point on the rim of the cup 12.

To remove the combination dauber and butter from the support member, the handle 25 of the dauber and butter may be grasped in the region of the cut-down side portions 13 and lifted above the handle 11 of the support member to the broken-line position shown in FIG. 4. When the combination dauber and butter is in this posi tion, it may be manipulated rearwardly relatively to the support member to remove the pin 30 from the hole 31 in the member so that the member may be separated from the dauber and butter. As shown in FIG. 4, the pin 30 may be supported from the head of the dauber and butfer 'by having a portion thereof permanently driven into the extension 28. To facilitate the removal of the dauber and buffer from the support member, a finger may be extended through the opening 15 of the member to thrust the handle 25 upwardly and out of the dished handle 11 of the support member. It will be understood that to assemble the combination dauber and butter with the support member, the two are first moved lengthwise relatively to one another to fit the pin 39 in the hole 31. When this has been done, the handle 25 of the dauber and buffer may be pressed downwardly into the dished handle 11 of the support member.

When the combination dauber and bufier is removed from the support member, the closure 20 may be manipulated by the tab 22 to open the closure for access to the shoe polish in the can 18 supported in the cup 12. The dauber may then be applied to the polish in the usual manner, and the polish applied from the dauber to the shoes of the user in the usual manner. During the application of the polish to the users shoes, the combination dauber and buffer may be held in one hand of the user and the support member, supporting the polish can, may be held in the other, or, if desired, the combination dauber and buffer may be reassembled with the support member, and the support member inverted and manipulated to apply the polish. The handle 11 of the support member is very useful for this purpose, and it may be noted here that the reduced portion 27 thereof may be grasped between the thumb and forefinger to aid in manipulation of the member when it is assembled with the combination dauber and buffer. The thumb of the users hand may press against one of the rises 14 while the forefinger of the hand may be pressed against the other rise 14.

It may also be noted that the handle 11 of the support member is very useful as a support for the polish can when polish is applied to the dauber bristles. The handle 11 may be grasped in one hand while the handle 25 is grasped in the other hand and manipulated to apply polish to the bristles. This very effectively inhibits staining of the users hands with shoe polish. After the polish has been applied to the users shoes, when the combination dauber and buffer is separated from the support member, the buffer 29 may be applied to the users shoes to remove excess polish and give them a shine. It will be understood that in reassembling the kit, the flexible closure 20 is manipulated to close the polish can 18 before the combination dauber and buffer is assembled with the support member. When the supply of polish is exhausted, the polish can may be easily removed from the cup 12 of the support member so that a fresh can may be substituted. To remove the empty can from the cup 12 after the closure has been opened, the fingers of the user may be extended through the aperture 16 in the bottom of the cup 12 to press the can upwardly and out of the grasp of the spring 17. A fresh can may be substituted by expanding the spring 17 to some extent with the can; As shown in FIG. 5, the ends of the spring 17 may be somewhat curved and may bear against the inner wall surface of the cup 12.

In accordance with the foregoing disclosure there is provided a shoe-polish kit which is very compact and may be easily supported by hand. One feature of the kit resides in the improved supporting and carrying handle structure constituted by two handles, one of which fits into the other. A shoe-polish kit is provided which may be assembled and held by the above-mentioned handle structure in one hand during a shoe-polishing operation or which may be partially disassembled and held by two handles, one in each hand, during the polishing of shoes, whichever is more convenient. A further feature of the kit is the ease and the improved manner in which the components of the kit may be assembled with one another.

While only one form of the invention has been illustrated in the drawings and described above, it will be understood by those versed in the art that the shoe-polish kit may take other forms and is susceptible of various changes in details without departing from the principles of the invention and the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

In a shoe-polish kit,- a support member having a cup part to supportingly receive a polish can and having a spring secured therein to frictionally engage and hold the can, the support member having anelongated dished handle projecting laterally from the cup in fixed relation thereto, the cup having at a location opposite the handle an' upwardly extending lug, a flexible closure for the polish can and having a part thereof secured to the cup, a combination dauber and buffer having an elongated fixed handle projecting from the head thereof which is provided with two faces, one of the faces being provided with dauber bristles and the other beingprovided with the buffer material, the last-mentioned face being turned down over the cup and the handle of the combination dauber and buffer being of complemental shape and dimensions and being removably received in substantially flush relation to the dished handle of the support member when the kit is assembled, and means on the head of the combination dauber and buffer engageable with said lug to prevent dislocation of the parts of the kit when the kit is assembled.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 159,167 Ellis Jan. 26, 1875 2,609,562 Florence Sept. 9, 1952 2,738,537 Rotheraine Mar. 10, 1956 2,794,204 Hill June 4, 1957 

